In the medical field, it is common to use ultrasound diagnostic equipment to view internal organs of a subject. For example, in diagnosing prostate cancer, a diagnostician uses transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) to identify whether lesions are present as well as to determine the location, size and extent of lesions if present. Conventional ultrasound diagnostic equipment typically comprise an ultrasound probe for transmitting ultrasound signals into the subject and receiving reflected ultrasound signals therefrom. The reflected ultrasound signals received by the ultrasound probe are processed and a two-dimensional image of the target under examination is formed.
Unfortunately, this conventional equipment produces two-dimensional images even though the target under examination is three-dimensional. Also, the two-dimensional images represent a single thin plane taken at an arbitrary angle to the target making it very difficult to localize the image plane in the target and very difficult to reproduce a particular image location at a later time.
In U.S application Ser. No. 08/158,267, assigned to the assignee of the present application, a three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system is described. Although, this system overcomes disadvantages associated with the prior art, improvements to enhance imaging are continually being sought.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel system and method for generating a three-dimensional image from a succession of two-dimensional images, a novel system for allowing a user to manipulate a displayed three-dimensional image, and a novel ultrasound imaging system.